Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, shut down its Jazan oil refinery on Tuesday after a Houthi missile and drone attack damaged key facilities at the site. The attack disrupted operations at one of the kingdom's most strategically important oil facilities on the Red Sea.
Houthi Attack Forces Refinery Shutdown
According to a Reuters report on Tuesday, the Houthi assault damaged the refinery's integrated gasification combined-cycle complex and an oil storage area. The Jazan refinery has the capacity to process 400,000 barrels of oil per day. The Houthi group stated that the strikes were retaliation for Saudi attacks on Hodeida, Yemen's port city on the Red Sea coast.
Repairs Underway, Operations to Resume
Aramco plans to complete repairs and begin restarting operations by 15 August. The refinery's shutdown underscores the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure amid ongoing regional tensions. The country had previously rerouted its crude output to Yanbu via its east-west pipeline to avoid Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which began after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran in February.
Drones from Iraq Intercepted
In a related development, Saudi Arabia reported intercepting drones launched from Iraq that targeted oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh on Monday. Saudi's Foreign Ministry responded by stating it "reserves the right to respond" to the attack, which it attributed to Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. The Iraqi government said it will investigate the alleged launch of drones from Iraqi territory, and top Iraqi security officials are requesting intelligence and evidence from Riyadh to determine who was behind the attack.
